5 Items

I don’t know if it’s recent movies I’ve seen or I’m remembering the old Left Behind videos from the 1970’s that caused me to repent and continually ask Jesus in my heart because I didn’t want to be left behind to face the tribulation or the reality that I live on the West Coast with one road access and the threat of a tsunami is possible but I’ve been thinking about emergency preparedness. This week on Kingdom Bloggers, we’re writing about 5 items we’d take in the event of a world disaster.

Here’s the scene:

You are escaping your home; all of your family members are safe and healthy. Each family carries one backpack, weighing 30lbs. You have dehydrated meals - one for every family member to eat one meal per day for 7 days, two gallons of water, one change of clothing, plus waterproof rain jacket & boots and $1000 cash.  You don’t know where you are going, or what you’ll find when you get there. Communication and electrical power are shut down. You can add an additional 5 items to your backpack, what are the items you carry with you?

1. My first item is my Bible for several reasons. First, it’s a good thing to have. Matthew 4:4 says, “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” I believe we need God’s word to survive. Secondly, my Bible is where I record life events – special dates and ways I’ve seen God move in my life. For sentimentality reasons, my Bible is more precious than any of the numerous scrapbooks I’ve made. And thirdly, the stories contained in the Bible are life giving messages and reading to pass idle times will be refreshing.
   
   
2. Another item has dual reasons for including it. My Grandma was a quilter and I have many quilts by her but the one I have from childhood is more precious than the others because it connects me to my past. I want to bring it for sentimentality and for the practical reason it can provide cushioning and/or warmth.
   
3. The 3^rd item on my survival list is a leatherman. My Man is like McGyver, (Remember that old TV show? Give him a wire hanger, baby wipes and an apple and he could assemble a bomb) he can pretty much accomplish anything with a leatherman.
    
4. The 4^th item is a first-aid kit; not only will my family need to consider first aid but others we encounter along the way may require first aid.
    
5. Finally, item #5 is a tarp; I live on the rainy West Coast (dubbed Wet Coast) and dry shelter is a concern, plus when not using it as shelter, it can be used to store or drag other items with us.

Okay, so that’s my list. What would you include? Is your list much different? Do you go for sentimentality or practicality?